


Matters of Time

by LadyOrpheus



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-05
Updated: 2015-12-05
Packaged: 2018-05-05 00:11:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5353526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyOrpheus/pseuds/LadyOrpheus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Really, Len thought to himself, he should have realized it was only a matter of time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Matters of Time

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all! For those of you reading my other Flash and Arrow fic, fret not I have not abandonded it. The Thanksgiving holiday was just a little busier than I anticipated. And then this baby plot bunny just came up and bit me right on the butt. 
> 
> Not beta-read, so as always any and all mistakes are totally my bad.

Really, Len thought to himself, he should have realized it was only a matter of time. (Pun completely unintended).

Sure, they’ve been zooming about in a time ship through more years than Mick can count, but each and every one of them harkened from good old 2016. They’ve got to return home sooner or later. For most of them, home meant Central City. And Central City meant the Flash.

Despite Len’s best efforts, with their newfound reputations it really was only a matter of time before they teamed up with the Scarlet Speedster.

And despite Len’s protests once the baddie of the day was safely squared away inside the meta-wing of Iron Heights, the Flash (a.k.a. Barry Allen a.k.a. the bane of Leonard Snart’s existence) happily accompanied the team back to the ship.

Len did his very best to tuck himself into an unnoticeable corner of the loading bay. He wasn’t sure he could stomach Barry’s particular brand of infuriating enthusiasm and endearing honesty. It made him equal parts agitated, disarmed, and intrigued. But the ship wasn’t exactly huge. While he was trying his best to pretend to be engrossed in the finer mechanical workings of the cold gun, it was difficult not to track the Scarlet Speedster as he flitted about the cabin.

“Woah,” Barry exclaimed over some of the fancier tech, his jaw dropping. Len had to force himself to look away from those lips. “Cool.”

Although it appeared the Flash knew—or at least knew of—the vast majority of the people on board, he kept the suit on and the cowl up. Perhaps because he, probably rightly so, did not yet trust Mick with his identity. Len had, after all, kept his word and revealed that secret to no one. Not even those closest to him. It was a card that he liked to keep close to his chest. Len kept telling himself that he’d play that card someday and cash in, but the tighter he held on to it the less likely that seemed. Or perhaps it was because Rip Hunter was still very much an unknown. Len was a naturally suspicious person, but it seemed even happy-go-lucky Barry Allen was wary around the time traveler.

Wary or not, Barry still seemed to make it a point to talk with everyone on the ship.

He chatted amicably with Canary and passed along greetings from their mutual friends in Star City. He also promised to pass a few messages back. He asked after Hawkgirl and Hawkman, smiled and nodded at all the right moments. He spoke at length with Atom about the specs of his updated suit. He also talked for a long while with both halves of Firestorm and extracted a promise to visit S.T.A.R. Labs as soon as possible. He even congratulated Mick on a job well done. Mick simply grunted.

When at last the Flash gave a curt farewell to Hunter and a far warmer one to the rest of the team, Leonard was torn between relief and disappointment as he tightened his focus on the gun and willed himself not to look up as Barry passed.

He fiddled with the safety and the release valve for as long as humanly possible. When he looked up, he expected to glance down the tarmac and see only Barry’s back, halfway back to S.T.A.R. Labs. Instead, the kid was not two feet in front of him with a broad, shit-eating grin plastered on that pretty face.

Len didn’t jump, but it was a near thing.

“Flash.” He said coolly. Leonard Snart was always cool, calm, and collected. He nodded his head and turned back to the gun. It wasn’t long, however, before he realized that he’d run out of mechanics to tinker with. He made a show of twirling it once and then testing the heft. As if he didn’t already know exactly how that piece of hardware felt cooling in the cradle of his hands.

When he’d finished, however, the kid was still there, grinning from ear to ear.

The silence was…unsettling. “What?” Len finally caved and asked.

Barry chuckled softly. “What? Oh, nothing, nothing. It’s just…” if possible he grinned ever wider, “I _knew_ it!”

Len shifted forward to rest his elbows on his knees, trying to give his best predatory impression. “Knew _what_?”

The kid was evidently unintimidated by Len’s posturing. Had been for a long time, probably. “I knew there was good in you, Snart.”

Leonard had to will the flush that swiftly rose on his neck back down before it hit his face. He was not a damn dog, rolling over to expose his soft belly at the first sign of praise. “Is that so, Scarlet?” He said through gritted teeth. “I wouldn’t count on it.”

The Flash raised an eyebrow. It was a little difficult to notice as the mask was so stiff, but Len’s focus had zeroed in on every minutia of Barry’s expressions. “You saved a lot of people today, Snart. I think that puts you pretty firmly in hero territory.”

Len kept silent. Hearing Barry say it, “hero.” It felt good. Like a streak of unfiltered sun after the dredges of a bitter March. But it also felt itchy, like it didn’t quite fit. The sleeves were too long and the chest too tight.

Getting no response, Barry continued to press. “Come on, Cold. You can’t tell me it didn’t feel good. Helping people. Doing the right thing.”

Len huffed. He doubted he’d be able to look Barry right in those earnest, indescribable eyes and lie so his gaze latched onto a space just above his right shoulder. “Don’t push your luck, kid. Right place, right time. I’ll be back off the straight and narrow any day now.”

Barry rolled those beautiful eyes. “Sure. Whatever you say.”

“I mean it, kid.” Len raised the cold gun to make a point. “Next time some wacko meta crashes through this crazy town don’t come crying to me. Haven’t you heard? I’ve got bigger fish to fry. Now beat it.”

When Barry didn’t move, Len gave a minute shrug as if to say, ‘Don’t say I didn’t warn you,’ and fired.

There was never really any danger. Cold knew the Flash was fast enough. And the Flash knew that Cold knew the Flash was fast enough. There were a couple of gasps of alarm, but sure enough Barry zipped away and a small patch of ice streaked harmlessly down the ramp. If it had made contact it might have frozen those quicksilver feet in place for a moment, but other than a temporary ice slide inside the ship there was no lasting damage. 

Indeed, despite the fact that he’d just been shot at, Barry was still grinning, no, laughing with that unbridled joy of his. While his allies on the Team fussed, Barry simply waved them off and nodded at Len. 

“I’ll see you around, Cold.” He did a couple loops around the inside of the ship, just a streak of lightning inside the main bay. Faster than a wink he sped down the ramp, making a point to topple Len from his seat first, before he sped away.

Len hadn’t even felt it. The arms that had so suddenly seized him and dumped him flat on his back. At first he felt only the cold metal of the ship beneath him. But as he sat up, another sensation began to emerge. A tiny point of warmth seemed to bloom on Len’s face, like just this half dollar-sized spot had been brushed with a warm wind. It was just at the corner of his mouth—more cheek than lip, really—an echoey ghosting of pressure that burned hotter than any blush.

Len couldn’t stop his fingers from hovering delicately over that small speck.

And then he whispered, so quietly that he couldn't even hear himself, "See you around, Barry."

**Author's Note:**

> That end was shamelessly inspired by Barry's comment in the crossover ep that he could probably hug Oliver before he even noticed. I just got to thinking "hmmm what else might Barry be able to do without being noticed..." ;)
> 
> Hit me up at ladyorpheus.tumblr.com!


End file.
